If you're in need of some folksy fiddle-and-banjo bluegrass over the weekend, look no further than Jake Blount's brand new album Spider Tales. Created as a tribute to the "long history of expressions of pain in the African-American tradition," as Blount says, the new album sways back and forth between instrumental jam sessions and soulful songs about loss and pain, all while flaunting Blount's inherent artistry. … [Read more...] about First Out: New Music From Orville Peck, Keiynan Lonsdale, Blimes and Gab & More

News of her huge book deal was met with a sort of chuckling sympathy, and nobody in New York was surprised when she missed her deadline, spent the advance on drugs and overdosed a little bit on heroin. But then, after another burst in rehab, she produced How To Murder Your Life, an addiction memoir that was written on Adderall and a little coke. There is no redemption here; the happy endings are slight and knowing. Reading it is a bit like being inside a TV film, the part when you realise the call is coming from inside the house. This is a book written, if not quite during the dark night of the soul, then perhaps around 6am, when the commuter trains have started. … [Read more...] about We so rarely hear from women in the grip of addiction

The perception of Lil Yachty as something of a hip-hop jokester -- blame it on playful fizziness of early hits like “Broccoli” and “iSpy,” or his wide-smile image, or even the bouncy nature of his helium-coated flow -- comes to something of an end on Lil Boat 3. Yachty’s new album is largely serious and hard-charging, with floating trap beats and a newfound focus to his delivery (although he does make room for the occasional goofball double entendre: “Got a stick way too big, I could kill a fox,” he raps on “Wock in Stock”). And as “Oprah’s Bank Account” with Drake and DaBaby previewed, Lil Boat 3 is rife is guest stars to match Yachty’s energy -- take special note of Tierra Whack, who steps up alongside Yachty, A$AP Rocky and Tyler, The Creator on “T.D” and absolutely pulverizes the track. … [Read more...] about First Stream: New Music From Lady Gaga, Rosalia & Travis Scott, Anuel & More